Home » Beauty »  Skin Care Tips »  Protect Your Skin With spring blossoming flowers everywhere, it is time we prepped our skin in anticipation of the blistering months ahead. Naturally you want to hide indoors to escape the harmful effects of the sun, dust, pollution free radicals etc. But that need not be. With little care and attention, the joys of summer can be yours without worrying about tan, or sun burnt skin. Before we go down to protecting your exterior, you need to take care of your internals to be able to fortify your skin from the inside. Drink lots of water through the day, not only to replenish lost moisture but also to help flush toxins out of the body. Sipping cold Herb or spice teas offer added therapeutic benefit. To counteract the outside choose cooling herbs and spices such as mint, cardamom and fennel. Milk has a cooling effect that is soothing inside as well as outside. Drinking a cup of cold milk is a great idea. You should start your summer skin protection ritual right away to make sure that skin remain fresh and flawless

Screen the Sun

We all know the virtues of a good sunscreen. Needless to say that it is a must. It is the biggest defence that you can give your skin to fight the harmful UVA and UVB rays. Look for a sunscreen with a minimum SPF of 20 to combat the high sun that Indian summers get. If you have sensitive skin a water-resistant sunscreen with SPF 25 will help protect your skin. You apply sunscreen to dry skin at least 15 minutes before going outdoors and should reapply after swimming or perspiring. Typically, one coin size of sunscreen lotion is enough to cover exposed areas of the body properly. For lips, the best protection against sun damage is a water resistant lip balm that keeps the lips moist and that has an SPF of 15.

Fighting Tan

Even if you are meticulous with your sunscreen, tanning is something you can't avoid. You need to be regular with a skin care regimen. Combine milk with ingredients like almond meal and rose water to make a balancing skin cleanser that fights tan as well as soothes burnt skin. Apply cucumber water over your exposed areas including face, hands feet and neck to soothe burnt skin and avoid tanning. At least once a week, treat yourself to a fruit or vegetable mask. Cucumbers, avocados, apricots and papayas are great homemade masks. Puree the fruit or vegetable and blend with some yoghurt, honey, oatmeal and lemon juice (for oily skin) or rosewater (for dry skin) and apply evenly to the face. Let stay for 15-20 minutes and then rinse off with lukewarm water.